A Cotswold dairy is celebrating after scooping three top prizes at the prestigious British Cheese Awards.

Medals complete golden year for Cerney Cheese

A Cotswold dairy is celebrating after scooping three top prizes at the prestigious British Cheese Awards.

Cerney Cheese, which makes a selection of goats cheeses, won two gold medals and a bronze at the hotly-contested industry award ceremony.

The Cerney Pyramid and Cerney Starter both won gold, and the Aged Cerney was awarded a bronze.

It caps an incredible year for the North Cerney dairy, as in June the Cerney Pepper beat stiff competition to be crowned Supreme Champion at the Three Counties Show in Worcestershire.

The Pepper went on to win gold at the Mid-Somerset show in Shepton Mallet last month, where the Pyramid was awarded silver and bronze medals. The Pyramid also won silver and bronze at the Global Cheese Show in Frome, Somerset, earlier this month.

In May, Cerney Cheese won Best Stand at the Artisan Cheese Fair in Melton Mowbray, Leics.

Cheesemaker Avril Pratt says, Were delighted and very proud to have won two golds and a bronze at the British Cheese Awards.

Its been a great year for us, and the medals are a brilliant reward for the hard work and dedication of everyone at the dairy.

Judges at the British Cheese Awards in Cardiff sampled 905 cheeses from 187 cheesemakers. The Supreme Champion was a cheese from Yorkshire.

Cerney Cheese was founded by Lady Angus in 1983 after she returned from France determined to create a British version of the famous Valencay goats cheese.

Lady Anguss daughter-in-law, Janet Angus, now plays a key role in selling the cheese at farmers markets and specialist fairs.

The milk is sourced from farms where many of the goats are known by name.

All the cheeses are made by hand at the dairy near Cirencester, and the painstaking processes include rolling the cheeses in rainbow peppercorns and patting ash onto the pyramids.

The cheese is sold at farmers markets, Waitrose stores in Gloucestershire and selected delicatessens across the UK, or visit www.cerneycheese.com